1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to screen display. More specifically, the present invention relates to scrolling information displayed in a scroll area set within a display area according to an input of a cursor movement.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, in an information processing apparatus, when the size of information displayed in a display area on a display device in larger than that of the display area, the entirety of the information is displayed by scrolling. Generally, when selecting a desired object from multiple candidates displayed on the display device is that a predetermined input is received from an input device when a cursor is positioned at the desired object. The cursor is moved according to the operation of the input device performed by the user.
In Unexamined Japanese Patent Publications No. S61-250681, No. H4-19793, No. H10-31477, and 2004-271439 (hereinafter referred to as publication group A), there is provided a scroll instruction area around a scroll area where information is scrolled. The user operates the input device and inputs a predetermined instruction when the cursor is positioned in the scroll instruction area. By inputting the predetermined instruction, information is scrolled in the scroll area.
In Unexamined Japanese Patent Publications No. H3-61997 and No. 2003-114750 (hereinafter referred to as publication group B), when an instruction for moving a cursor to the outside of a scroll area is input from an input device and the cursor is positioned at an end of a scroll area, information is scrolled in the scroll area without moving the position of the cursor.
There may be a display area which includes a scroll area and objects other than those in the scroll area. In is case, the user needs to freely move the cursor in the main area to select a desired object other than those in the sell area. The user needs to scroll information while moving the cursor in only the scroll area to select an object displayed in the scroll area.
However, in the publication group B, the user can scroll information while moving the cursor in the scroll area by one operation. However, the cursor must be moved in the scroll area. The publication group B does not disclose that the cursor is designed to move outside of the scroll area with an easy operation.
In the publication group A, the user can move the cursor in the main area and scrolls information in the scroll area by a simple operation. However, the publication group A do not disclose that the cursor can be moved in only the scroll area. In the publication group A, since the scroll instruction area, which is not the area for displaying information that the user originally wishes to view, is provided around the scroll area, the size of the scroll area must be reduced.
In any of the above-mentioned publications, it can be considered that both cursor movement and information scroll are performed on the assumption that the number of areas where information can be scrolled is only one main area. On the other hand, it is possible to create a screen which has a second scroll area where second information is scrolled inside of the roll area where first information is scrolled. However, in all of the above-mentioned publications, it is impossible to scroll information in any of the scroll areas with an easy operation while moving the cursor in one of the scroll areas on a screen having multiple scroll areas.